Paper Lions

I spoke with Colin Buchanan, the guitarist from Paper Lions, to get the scoop on their new album, My Friends, being released this August and much more!

Raz Mataz Magazine (RMM):Your band was formerly known as the Chucky Danger Band; why did you guys decide to change your name and how did you come up with Paper Lions?

Colin Buchanan (CB): We started Chucky Danger when I was about 17. We eventually out grew the name, but also kind of the style of music, too. There came a point when we wanted to change both, so we did. Paper Lions came about during the 11th hour of band name brainstorming. It was basically the one name that we could all get behind.

RMM: Who does most of the songwriting? What are your musical influences?

CB: The songwriting is split pretty much evenly between myself and brothers John and Rob.

RMM: If you could describe your band’s sound / style in one word, what would it be?

CB: We’ve always been students of pop music and all love messing with new melodic ideas. So, melodic would be the word, I guess?

RMM: You guys obviously love performing; what was your most embarrassing moment on stage?

CB: None of us are easily embarrassed, really, probably to a fault. Dave has had a few pretty hilarious blunders on stage before though: falling, ripping the ass of his jeans while playing bongos, burning the knees out of his pants while power sliding, etc. None of them were necessarily embarrassing as much as they were just awesome. You’ve always gotta take that stuff in stride.

RMM: If you could perform/collaborate with any artist, who would that be?

CB: I’ve always wanted to do something with Weird Al. Music or Video based, it doesn’t matter. Everything he does is always so spot on and if Al is parodying you, you know you’ve made it.

RMM: I love your music and I cannot wait to listen to your new album, My Friends – ‘Philedphia’ and ‘My Friend’ were a tease! How long did you guys work on this album? And what can fans expect to hear?

CB: The album has been the works for about two years now. We wanted to take our time with the material and write a whole bunch to see if something started to develop naturally. In the end it was the lyrics that ended up driving much of the record’s vibe. We’re real melody guys so anytime it came to writing lyrics in the past, it always felt like a whole lot of work for us. This time, however, we just ended up sitting around and talking a lot about growing up together and reminiscing about our childhood. It was a pretty natural and fluid way of writing.

RMM: Will there be a tour once this album is released?

CB: Oh, yes. Lots of touring once the record is out. The first announcement we’ve made is for a run though the U.S. starting in September. Check out our website to keep up to date with all that stuff.

RMM: What do you hope the future holds for Paper Lions?

CB: Beyond just being excited to get this album out to the world, I guess we are looking forward to touring in some new territories come fall / winter.

For more on Paper Lions, visit their website and their Facebook page. And be sure to listen to their singles, ‘My Friend’ and Philadelphia’, below!